leader's approved protocol to: 1) anesthetize the mice, 2) perform saline perfusion, which euthanizes the mouse by exsanguination, 3) dissect the mouse to display the mouse aorta in situ, 4) remove the aorta and trim off adventitial tissue, 5) cut the aorta longitudinally and fix it flattened between two microscope slides, 6) stain the aorta with oil red O, 7) mount the aorta on a microscope slide, and 8) quantify the % surface lesion area in the entire aorta, as well as in the regions of the aortic arch, and thoracic and abdominal aortas. Utilization of the Core Facility